French Indian Wars, French Infantry Regiments - La Reine and Royal Roussillon & Battle of Sainte-Foy Warmup.

 

As a slight diversion from my more recent output for my own AWI project, I recently completed some new units for my old pal, Steve M. to add to his impressive collection of French Indian Wars figures which he is bringing to the table in June, as we make the annual pilgrimage to North Devon to join with other old friends, as we indulge ourselves with a big battle scenario based on the historical battle of Sainte Foy, fought on April 28th 1760. 

The battle began with the British attempting to advance, but they faced difficulties due to the muddy terrain and melting snow, and the French forces, familiar with the landscape, launched a counterattack that turned the tide in their favour, with the fighting described as intense and at close-quarters, lasting about two hours.

The French emerged victorious, inflicting significant casualties on the British, with estimates of 1,124 British casualties compared to 833 French casualties, but despite this victory, Lévis, the French commander was unable to capitalize on the win to besiege Quebec effectively, as British reinforcements arrived shortly after the battle; and with New France on the brink of collapse, the British would go on to secure control over Canada, culminating in the capitulation of Montreal later that year.

The Régiment de la Reine and the Régiment Royal-Roussillon were integral parts of the French Army during the French and Indian War. 

The Régiment de la Reine was one of the first French regulars to engage in battle in North America, participating in significant engagements such as Dieskau's Battle of Lake George and the Battle of Carillon. 

The Régiment de la Reine using figures from Front Rank and depicted in summer dress without the white justaucorps with red turnback cuffs.

The regiment's uniform was characterized by a greyish-white justaucorps with red turnback cuffs and a distinctive pattern of buff leather sword-belt supporting a brass-hilted sword. 

The Régiment Royal-Roussillon, which also participated in the French victories at Carillon, was stationed in Montreal and later mobilized for various campaigns, including defending Québec and participating in the battles of Montmorency, the Plains of Abraham, and Sainte-Foy. 

The regiment's uniform was similar to the Régiment de la Reine, consisting of a greyish-white justaucorps with blue turnback cuffs and a blue jacket.

The Régiment de la Reine, using figures from 1st Corps.

They were part of the regular soldiers that departed from the French port of Brest and arrived in Quebec City between May 12th and 31st, 1756, and the regiment's contributions were crucial in the capture of Fort William Henry and the subsequent battles at Carillon and Quebec. Despite their bravery and valour, the French forces were ultimately defeated, leading to the fall of Quebec City to British forces.

The Compagnies franches de la marine; were an ensemble of autonomous infantry units attached to the French Royal Navy and employed to serve both on land and sea, and along with the Canadian militia and France's Indian allies, the Troupes de la Marine were essential to the defence of New France in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Compagnies Franches de la Marine Officer in Capote & Mitasses
from Galloping Major.

When the French and Indian War broke out, the Compagnies were a major part of the French war effort in North America, and their experience in the colony and with war parties of French Canadien militia and native allies made them skilled in the kind of frontier fighting practised during the war. 

In addition to leading raids on British colonial settlements, they had helped in the efforts to take over the Ohio Valley that preceded the war, and they participated in the defeat of General Edward Braddock early in the war. 

By 1755, regular infantry battalions were sent by France to help protect the colony, and a number of the Compagnies were combined into their own battalion to serve alongside the line troops, with these forces helping to defend the French fortress at Louisbourg, as well as Quebec City and Montreal, from attack by British forces.

In preparation for our big-game, myself, Steve M and Vince got together a few weeks ago to try out a planned set up with our forces somewhat enlarged on the historical battle but with similar terrain and objectives, using the rules Black Powder, and with Steve's collection out in force.

The British have made an impressive advance to the stream from their base line on the nearest table edge, with no foul ups, and the French still struggling to get their units forward.

I ran the British and Vince the French, as I set out to get across the stream to my front and establish a British line prior to the French marching out to prevent such a move.

The British artillery has limited rounds of fire due to the problems encountered in transporting sufficient ammunition, marked up here with the blue dice to record rounds fired.

The main punch with this British force is its artillery component, which if sighted advantageously can cause the French to have a very bad day at the office. However this plan, as historically, can be foiled by the stream to the front of the British set up, with marshy ground, somewhat prone to causing guns to become bogged.

The British guns advance over the stream on the left flank, not entirely without loss, as one gun became bogged on the way.

I was having a bit of a run with the dice on the day we played, and managed to get the bulk of my British infantry and a significant number of guns across, with only one becoming bogged, before the bulk of the French force could push up to prevent the manoeuvre, that left the British commanding the slight rise on the French side of the stream and with their right flank refused on the road and keeping the guns there securely behind the stream.

The bulk of my British and Canadian militia infantry and a significant number of guns are across the stream, and the right flank is refused on the road, with a second gun line.

So our first test game showed that if the British roll well on the manoeuvre table in Black Powder they can secure themselves an advantageous position, but a further test game will see if a similar outcome is repeated.

The view from the British right flank. Note the bogged gun on the other flank, top-left.

The picture below shows the table when we drew stumps on the game, with the British centre and flanks fairly established to batter the French attempting to advance from the opposite edge.

When we do the thing for real, I'm looking forward to seeing these new French units join the ranks of General Lévis army, with some pictures to follow.

More anon 

JJ